Centrifugal suspension pump

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the pump for handling suspensions and forming them concurrently the main distinctive feature of this pump being additional vanes installed on the impeller and intended to bring solid particles to a suspended state, said vanes being arranged radially around the suction opening of the pump. Such a design ensures a strong turbulent flow which is concentrated in the suction zone and which provides for an intensive washing out of the solid particles and their equally intensive entrainment into the suspension being sucked into the pump.

nited States Patent 91 Chaplygin et'al.

[ CENTRIFUGAL SUSPENSION PUMP [76] Inventors: Igor Jurievich Chaplygin, ulitsa Vernosti, 13, kv. 157; Dmitry Nikolaevich Mitjushin, ulitsa Varvarinskaya, 30, kv. 1; Dmitry Petrovich Zapolnov, Antonovsky pereulok, 13, kv. 51; Natalia Nikolaenva Karamzina, Piskarevsky Prospekt, 16, kv. 290; Valentina Grigorievna Lebedeva, ulitsa Khalturina, l9, kv. 10; lrina Mikhailovna Lomagina, ulitsa Glinki 2, kv. 32, all of Leningrad, U.S.S.R.

[ 22] Filed: July 13, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 162,204

[52] U.S.Cl 259/96, 415/143, 415/74, 415/121 G [51] Int. Cl. B0lf 5/16, F04d 1/0 [58] Field of Search 415/206, 121, 143, 415/204, 74; 259/95, 96

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,890,659 6/1959 Haentjens et a1. 415/121 G June 26, 1973 3,199,773 8/1965 Stirling 415/143 3,253,357 5/1966 Allard 415/206 3,284,055 11/1966 Johansen 259/96 3,122,307 2/1964 Wasson et a] 415/144 Primary Examiner--l-lenry F. Raduazo Attorney-Eric H. Waters, John G. Schwartz et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to the pump for handling suspensions and forming them concurrently, the main distinctive feature of this pump being additional vanes installed on the impeller and intended to bring solid particles to a suspended state, said vanes being arranged radially around the suction opening of the pump. Such a design ensures a strong turbulent flow which is concentrated in the suction zone and which provides for an intensive washing out of the solid particles and their equally intensive entrainment into the suspension-being sucked into the pump.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 1 CENTRIFUGAL SUSPENSION PUMP The invention relates to centrifugal suspension pumps and more specifically it relates to the centrifugal suspension pumps equipped with devices for concurrent formation of suspension by bringing the solid particles to 'a suspended state.

Such pumps are designed basically for transferring pulp whose solid fraction is constituted by soils, ores, ash, etc.

Known in the art are centrifugal pumps which transfer pulp, simultaneously forming it. In these pumps the pulp is produced by means of a mechanical loosener of soil or another material. Said mechanical loosener is made in the form of a ring secured on the pump impeller shaft. One end of said shaft passes through the suction opening in the pump casingand the loosening ring is secured on this end of the shaft. The soil or another material is loosened by direct penetration of the loosening ring into said material. (For example, pumps installed on floating dredgers La Muv manufactured by Benoto).

The basic disadvantage of said pumps is inefficient formation of pulp which contains a low percentage of solid fraction, especially while handling thin layers of the worked material. This disadvantage is caused by the fact that a considerable amount of the loosened material is thrown beyond the zone of suction which results from the above-mentioned design of the mechanical loosener and from an excessively high rotation speed of said loosener which rotates at the same speed as the pump impeller.

Besides, since the loosener obstructs the suction opening of the pump, the conditions of suction are sharply impaired. This disadvantage is further aggravated by the fact that theend of the impeller shaft, carrying the mechanicalloosen'er, reduces the usefularea through the suction opening of thepump.

Other disadvantages of this designilie in a high probability of breaking and heavy wear ofthe loosener owing to its strong collisions with the soil resulting from its high rotational speed.

Besides, pumps with mechanical looseners of this type cannot be employed incleaning the revetted water basins.

No less known in the art are suspension pumps wherein the soil or another material is loosened with the aid of hydraulic looseners which utilize directional jets of water.

The main disadvantage of the pumps with hydraulic looseners lies in that a considerable proportion of solid particles is thrown outside of the suction zone which cuts down pump efficiency. Besides, such designs call for large amounts of power and for additional pumps supplying water for hydraulic loosening.

An object of the invention resides in eliminating the above disadvantages of the known suspension pumps fitted with mechanical or hydrauliclooseners.

This object is achieved by providing a centrifugal suspension pump equipped with a device for bringing solid particles to a suspended state in which, according to the invention, the pump impeller has additional vanes which bring the solid particles to a suspended state, said vanes installed on the impeller so that they are located outside the pump casing and arranged substantially radially around the suction portion of said impeller.

Such a design of the pump keeps said vanes from direct contact with the worked material and ensures most efficient stirring up of said material by turbulent jets of water produced by said additional vanes.

To intensify the process of pulp suction, the additional vanes are installed on the suction pipe connection of the pump impeller, said pipe connection protruding out of the casing.

While handling thin layers of material, it is practicable that a dish-shaped screen be installed around the suction opening, and the additional vanes of the impeller, so that said additional vanes would be installed inside the dish.

The dish-shaped screen ensures concentration of eddies in the suction zone and forms additional flows along the generating lines of the screen, said flows being directed at the worked material.

To exclude the rotary motion of the suspension along the edges of the dish-shaped screen and to prevent the resultant throw-out of the material from the dish, the inner surface of the screen has a plurality of guide blades extending in a substantially meridional direction, the peripheral ends of said guide blades being curved along the rotation of the pump impeller.

Now the invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a suspension pump according to the invention, equipped with a device for bringing solid fractions to a suspended state, said pump being actually a submersible pulp pump;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same pump.

The pump comprises a casing l (FIGJ) accommodating an impeller 3 on a shaft 2 (FIGS. 1, 2). Said impeller has a suction pipe connection 4 (FIGS. 1, 2) which passes through the suction opening 5 (FIG.1) of the casing 1. The portion of the suction pipe connec-' tion 4 (FIGS. 1, 2) protruding from the casing 1 carries vanes 6 which bringthe solid particles of the soil to a suspended state. The vanes 6 are arranged radially on the external surface of the pipe connection 4.

Secured on the casing 1 is a dish-shaped screen 7 surrounding the vanes 6 which latter are located inside the dish, near its bottom.

On the internal surface of the dish-shaped screen 7 there are guide blades 8 extending in a meridional direction, the ends of these vanes being bent along the rotation of the vanes 6.

When the impeller Elv and vanes 6 are in rotation, they form a'violent turbulent flow which is concentrated and guided by the screen 7 onto the worked material (soil, slag, ash, etc.), thus ensuring intensive transferrence of the washed-out material into suspended state and producing concentrated pulp.

The vanes 8 eliminate the rotary motion of the pulp along the edges'of the screen 7 thus preventing the centrifugal throw-out of the material from the dish-shaped screen and intensifying the stirring-up of the soil or another washed-outmaterial at the ends of the dish. Being reflected from the surface of the soil, the turbulent flow continues rotating, at the same time moving progressively towards the suction pipe connection 4.

The central part of the pulp flow moving towards the suction pipe connection 4-has the greatest concentration of solid material and it is just this part of the flow which enters the pump. The peripheral portions of the flow, with a far lower concentration of the solid fraction get onto the vanes 6 and the process is then repeated as described above.

The water continuously supplied from outside into the dish-shaped screen 7 along the screen edges, joins the flow of pulp moving towards the suction opening.

Though the description deals with the pump handling water suspension or pulps and used for underwater working of soils and other materials, it can be used with equal success for transferring air and other gas suspensions, i.e. to serve as a vacuum cleaner.

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal suspension pump comprising, in combination, a casing with an opening; an impeller with vanes located inside said casing and having a suction portion extending out of said casing through said opening; a plurality of auxiliary vanes fixed on said suction portion and extending substantially radially from said suction portion; and a dish-shaped screen mounted on said casing and surrounding said auxiliary vanes.

2. A centrifugal suspension pump as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of guide blades fixed on the inner surface of said dish-shaped screen and extending substantially meridionally.

3. A centrifugal suspension pump as defined in claim 2 wherein the ends of said guide blades adjacent said auxiliary vanes are curved in the direction of rotation of said impeller. 

1. A centrifugal suspension pump comprising, in combination, a casing with an opening; an impeller with vanes located inside said casing and having a suction portion extending out of said casing through said opening; a plurality of auxiliary vanes fixed on said suction portion and extending substantially radially from said suction portion; and a dish-shaped screen mounted on said casing and surrounding said auxiliary vanes.
 2. A centrifugal suspension pump as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of guide blades fixed on the inner surface of said dish-shaped screen and extending substantially meridionally.
 3. A centrifugal suspension pump as defined in claim 2 wherein the ends of said guide blades adjacent said auxiliary vanes are curved in the direction of rotation of said impeller. 